Planning to Sell Your House with a Real Estate Agent?

Listing with a real estate agent is the right move for a lot of sellers — and since our owner Matthew Moisan is a licensed Massachusetts real estate agent with RE/MAX Encore, we'll tell you honestly when it's the better option. But it helps to go in with clear expectations.

You'll need to clean and stage

Buyers today expect to see a polished, staged home. That usually means decluttering, deep cleaning, and sometimes renting furniture or making cosmetic updates before the first showing.

Expect frequent short-notice showings

Once you're on the market, buyers and agents will want to tour on their schedule, sometimes with as little as 30 minutes' notice — which can be disruptive if you're still living in the house.

The timeline runs 60–90 days, often longer

Between listing, offer negotiation, inspection contingencies, and the buyer's mortgage underwriting, a typical sale takes two to three months from listing to closing — sometimes longer if financing or inspection issues come up.

Commission and closing costs add up

Agent commissions typically run 5–6% of the sale price, and sellers usually cover another 2–3% in closing costs. On a $400,000 sale, that's $28,000–$36,000 off the top before you see a dollar.

One more option worth pricing out

If the house needs work, it's worth knowing what that work would actually cost before you decide. We're also a licensed Massachusetts general contractor (CSL and HIC), so we can price the repairs properly rather than guessing — sometimes a targeted renovation returns far more than it costs, and sometimes it clearly doesn't.

If that timeline and cost structure works for your situation, we can help you list. If you'd rather skip it entirely, we can also make a fair, no-obligation cash offer — as-is, no showings, no commission. Compare both paths or get a cash offer today.